Ali Shahalom

Ali, mate, what is Hajj?

It's basically a halal Glastonbury.

No, Ali, don't dumb it down for me.

What actually is Hajj?

The fifth pillar of Islam, an annual pilgrimage.

Ali, stop pandering.

I don't want textbook definitions.

I want nuance and detail.

I've watched Slumdog Millionaire, I drink masala tea, and I've been to four entire Asian weddings.

Tell me about Hajj like it's never been spoken about before.

Alright, James.

Here goes nothing.

That is the sound of intense worship from Mount Arafat.

Millions of Muslims gather every year to perform their spiritual obligation known as Hajj.

In 2024, I was somewhere up there on that mountain.

Hudge, a word you may remember from RE lessons and still not know it has two Js.

Hudge has been top of my bucket list since I was a kid, just above learning how to juggle and solving a Rubik's cube.

I know, banging bucket list, bruv.

I always thought I'd do Hudge much later in life, like properly old and gray type situation.

You know, like when they finally fixed the potholes in my area, when Fast and Furious stopped doing sequels, or when people shut up about air fryers.